"A WHIFF OF SCANDAL"
Long years ago - while the Romans were still at Caerwent, or Venta Silurum, the name by which it was then known, and while Latin was spoken in its seven streets - there lived a slave girl, at a house which at that time stood at the far end of the garden attached to Mr. George Lewis's cottage at "The Cross".

Her name was Domitilla - which was a Roman name enough. But there was nothing remarkable in her being a slave, for the legality of slavery, as a system, was recognized by Roman Law.

The interesting thing about it is, that Domitilla had a lover named Victor. Who and what Victor was, we shall never know. He may have been a slave or possibly a soldier - belonging to the II Legion Augusta.

One day it would appear Domitilla desired to convey a "message" to Victor; and probably from lack of more direct means, she wrote her message with a sharp instrument upon some wall plaster where it might be seen by her lover.

Unfortunately, very soon after the discovery of this very human document during the 1905 excavations, the fragile nature of the wall-plaster caused it to crumble into minute particles of dust upon exposure to the atmosphere, and the amorous message was rendered indecipherable; but immediately beneath where the message once stood, was written one Latin word, "punianimi" meaning "for shame".
It was by another hand that was apparently not animated by any good or kind intentions toward Domitilla or Victor.

During all this lapse of ages the names of the hapless lovers alone survive, as if to remind us that human nature was very much the same then as now. As in Tennyson's 'Song Of The River', it is still true that, "Men may come and men may go" but love, even human love, "goes on for ever".

We owe much to the Romans. They were adepts at organization. Law and order were reduced to a fine art - and yet like all institutions set up by human intelligence alone, pagan Rome lacked the true spirit of the Gospel of our Lord - which proclaims the freedom of the captive - and breaks in sunder the shackles of the slave.

(See Archeologia No.59 p.19 for an illustration of the inscription above referred to. On the plan of "Roman Caerwent" the House is numbered XVI-N)
W.C.W.